A Kentucky court is confronting a horrific incident that occurred on a public school bus.
As reported by Louisville’s WAVE, on a 2015 afternoon, a 6-year-old Jefferson County Public Schools student walked down the steps of the bus to make her way home.
But something went terribly wrong.
As her feet reached the pavement, the bus doors closed.
The little girl — identified as “A.R.” in a lawsuit — was wearing her backpack.
The doors clamped down onto the bag, trapping it inside the bus.
A.R. struggled to escape, but she couldn’t break free.
With eyes fully forward, the bus driver accelerated, moving on toward the next stop.
Heart-rending video of the event shows the poor youngster try to run alongside the bus at first. But as its speed increases, she loses her footing.
According to her family’s attorney — who was in court Tuesday for the beginning civil trial — the girl was dragged 1,147 feet.
Incredibly, the bus driver never noticed.
Nor did, it seems, a student who was standing at the front of the bus.
In the security footage, a car can be heard honking, presumably so as to alert the driver.
Finally aware, the driver pulls over, exclaiming, “Oh, my God! Oh, my God!”
Speaking as someone who rode the bus growing up, I find it stunning that the driver didn’t watch the little girl exit and wait until she was confirmed as far clear of the bus before continuing on the route.
Even if A.R. hadn’t gotten caught by the doors, she could’ve been run over by the bus.
As indicated by Yahoo! News, the driver “was fired after an investigation determined she did not watch the child get off the bus and ensure that all children were seated before driving, as required by her training.”
She was reportedly found to have broken 16 different rules during the ordeal.
Per NBC12, A.R. was left with serious injuries:
The child…suffered severe nerve damage and PTSD, the lawsuit states. She has had multiple surgeries.
The family is “asking for an undisclosed amount in damages.”
It’s a harrowing tale of negligence, and a reminder to us all: We must watch what we’re doing.
Everyone’s guilty of not paying attention at times.
But, particularly where heavy machinery is concerned — and even more so where small children are involved — a few moments of neglect can equal a lifetime of pain and regret.
Thank God the carelessness in Kentucky didn’t see an even worse end result.
Let us all hope and pray A.R. fully recovers.
And may nothing of the sort ever happen again.
-ALEX
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